From what I've read here, yes. Although you don't need to do all that for salt. Just like sugar, salt is a natural preservative and doesn't need oxygen absorbers or sealed mylar really. It just needs to be protected from critters.

I've wondered the same thing....................I do lots of preps(dehydrated vegs)
in qt.ball mason jars......I would think that every spice but salt would be fine in a jar with a 100cc. 02 absorber in it............................anyone?

I store my spices in mylar with O2 absorbers now, but in reality, they did just fine in their original jugs. I rotate through them in a few years anyway. Over time spices lose some pungency, but you can generally correct for that by using a bit more and tasting as you go. In mylar they last better without losing pungency. But they're still pretty fragile flavor wise, so I'd keep them rotated the best you can.

As for actual useful lifespan, pretty much forever. I'm using up some old jars of spices that have sat around for 10 years or more. Some of them are pretty bland at this point, but they're still flavoring up some tasty dishes once I compensate for that.

I have about 100 spices around here (can you tell I like to cook ethnic cuisines?), so I'm very concerned about getting maximum life out of them now. So far, mylar and O2 absorbers have worked out great. Canning jars with O2 absorbers would work too, just keep them out of the light. Light and heat is harder on spices than O2 is.

So far, mylar and O2 absorbers have worked out great. Canning jars with O2 absorbers would work too, just keep them out of the light. Light and heat is harder on spices than O2 is.

I'm going to do it this way. I've been given some jars like the pseudo canning ones from Classico tomato sauce, and some what look like Walmart China ones.

I certainly don't want to pressure can in either of them, but since they are the same thread as canning jars they will be perfect for spices. I'll write on the lid, but also use a bit of wide post-it tape as a label so I can see it in the dark canning closet.

I was going to put an O2 absorber in with some spice in a ball half pint and heat the lid with a hair dryer to see if it would seal a used lid better.

Yup, that's how I do it. I reuse lids for this. I haven't thought of a hair drier, I just poured boiling water in a pan and left them soaking while I got everything ready. I took them out dried them very well. Then to keep them warm and absorb anything I missed, I put them on a dry towel & flipped over the end to cover the tops. When my husband had two minutes I asked him to help, I opened my 02 absorbers. He put them in the jars and wiped the rims (again) and I had the lid and band ready for him. I have him help because he can really tighten the bands. While he was working on that I resealed the 02 absorbers. Ten minutes later they were all sealed.

I think reusing the lids is fine if they are in good shape. Since I leave the band on, it is doing a major part of the work. I've never had one fail this way and when I open no.10 cans of things like apples/onions/dry milk I fill several jars and use the 02 absorbers to keep them fresh.

I try to store spices in the most whole form possible. Instead of storing ground black pepper, I store peppercorns. Things like garlic are dehydrated and sliced rather than powder.

When I started cooking (like real cooking not from a box), I decided to use some things from my grandma's spice rack. It was a large rack with 50 or so spices. All in glass jars and hung next to the stove. (not ideal 70 degree dark room storage)She told me later that many of them were original from when my grandpa had bought it 20 years ago. So I made biscotti with 20 year old anise because that was one of those things my grandma never used. It still tasted like anise.
I'm sure the nutrients and vitamins were completely depleted but vast majority of people don't use spices for nutrients. You would have to use more spice as it would have less flavor. I'd rather toss in more spice than eat bland food.

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The rule of storing spices and seasoning vegetables is the bigger the pieces, the longer it will last.

Cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, dehydrated whole peppers, the biggest pieces of onion, bell peppers, celery, etc. you can dehydrate well, that is the way to store spices and seasonings for the longest life. Then grind them a couple or three months at a time.

For shorter term use, powders are fine. As an example, I buy my hot paprika 10 pounds at a time, already ground, but I will use about 5 pounds a year, so with 10 pounds - 5 goes in the pantry and 5 in mylar with an O2 absorber. I'd prefer to store the peppers that paprika comes from and grind my own, but they don't grow here and are almost impossible to find dehydrated.

Onions, I store in large chopped dehydrated pieces. That way I can use them in recipes as vegetables, smack them with the meat mallet and have small diced onion sizes for other recipes, grind some with a food processor or mortar and pestle and have onion powder. Add salt to the onion powder and have onion salt. Garlic works the same way.

I store some spices in canning jars with O2 absorbers, some in mylar with O2 absorbers, and 6 - 12 months use in the darkened spice cabinet in jars. Older spices usually just get weaker so you need more, seasoning vegetables sometimes get bitter if they sit in a powdered form for more than a couple of years.

My spicy observations.

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You can dry can them, but most spices keep for a very long time just in their original jars if they have a good seal. Penzey's Spices also sells vacuum sealed big bags of just about everything. And they have everything.

I have stored spices for a few years now. I just leave them in their original containers, the small ones, and put them in Mylar with extra O2 absorbers. Im going to leave some for at least 5 years to see how they do. I hope I dont have to use them before hand but with the way everything is going...who knows? So far the ones we have checked have been good!

I have stored spices for a few years now. I just leave them in their original containers, the small ones, and put them in Mylar with extra O2 absorbers. Im going to leave some for at least 5 years to see how they do. I hope I dont have to use them before hand but with the way everything is going...who knows? So far some of the ones we have checked have been good!

If you leave the spices in their original containers, you are leaving the spice in a high oxygen rich environment and putting the container in mylar and protecting the outside of the container from oxygen. The container is not the issue. It is the spices that need to be protected.

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If you leave the spices in their original containers, you are leaving the spice in a high oxygen rich environment and putting the container in mylar and protecting the outside of the container from oxygen. The container is not the issue. It is the spices that need to be protected.

I guess I should have said that I cracked them open just enough for the O2 to be able to escape. Hopefully the spices wont mingle with each other. So far they have not.

I was going to put an O2 absorber in with some spice in a ball half pint and heat the lid with a hair dryer to see if it would seal a used lid better.

Anyone try this yet?

Anyone see a potential problem with trying it?

A few years back I bought a white plastic cap (online) that fits over the top of a canning jar after I put the lid in place. It was supposed to be hooked to my food vacuum sealer.
I found advice online that took me in the right direction. I bought a hand pump Brake Line tool from a Harbor Freight store. It has a hose with it too, so all I had to do was modify one small piece that fits into the top of the jar cap, and now I can vacuum seal anything I like. I'm not sure if this will help you, but it'll take you in a good direction that doesn't need electricity to work.

If you leave the spices in their original containers, you are leaving the spice in a high oxygen rich environment and putting the container in mylar and protecting the outside of the container from oxygen. The container is not the issue. It is the spices that need to be protected.

I've bought a lot of imported spices from www.starwestbotanicals.com. They arrive is mylar sealed bags, which I leave them in unless I need to open one. I've put quite a few of these imported spices away for a SHTF moment. I'm pretty sure they'll stay good until that day arrives. The bags aren't vacuum sealed. Wouldn't the company do that if it was needed, long term or not?

Last edited by woodchuck#1; 10-29-2015 at 07:15 PM..
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